FRANKLIN – The Franklin men's soccer team hosted the Bluffton Beavers on Saturday (Oct. 12) afternoon with three big Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) points up for grabs.
 
The game was decided on a thin margin, with the Beavers besting the Grizzlies by a 2-0 score, with Bluffton scoring once in each half.
 
After Bluffton opened the scoring in the 22^nd minute, Franklin had a golden chance to knot things up in the 39^th minute when Britton Heinrich drew a foul in the Bluffton 18-yard box that saw the official point to the spot. Theo Sasso stepped up to take the penalty and laced his attempt toward the bottom right corner, but Bluffton keeper Zach Johnson guessed right and got a fingertip on the ball to keep the game at 1-0.
 
Bluffton added a second goal in the 70^th minute, pulling away before the final horn.
 
Shot attempts were 12-7 in Bluffton's favor, with six different Franklin players recording a shot attempt. In goal, Ian Rowe made a pair of saves in his 13^th straight start to open the year.
 
Up Next
Franklin hits the road on Wednesday (Oct. 15) night, heading west for a meeting with Rose-Hulman. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m.